Monday, March 9
Fairfax, Calif.
Kansas State University
at
Juli Inkster Invitational
‘Cats Hope to Capitalize on Fine Finish
Mar 07, 2020 | Women's Golf
MANHATTAN, Kansas -- Outside of a few highlights, K-State women's golf played a forgettable 51 holes of golf at last week's Florida State Match-Up, but it was how they played the final three that has the team walking tall into the Julie Inkster Invitational on Monday and Tuesday.
Heather Fortushniak birdied No. 9, then Reid Isaac and Chloe Weir birdied No. 10 and Niamh McSherry provided the dramatic close with a 64-yard chip-in for eagle on No. 11 - part of a 5-under close over the final three holes that helped the Wildcats leap two teams and finish T6th instead of ninth on a difficult Bay Point Golf Course. Those four, along with Briony Bayles, will comprise K-State's lineup when the team ties off on the par-72, 6,157-yard Meadow Club in the San Francisco Bay Area.
"I was really proud of the finish," K-State head coach Kristi Knight said. "Last week it was a difficult set-up. The Westbrook Invitational in Arizona was set-up for birdies, but the setup at Bay Point had a lot of water, a lot of penalty areas, and a lot of wind, especially during day one. Scoring was high for the field and we struggled. I think every one of the ladies would tell you we did not play good golf, but to their credit they played until the end."
K-State's climb in the team standings also contributed to a modest climb in the national rankings this week to No. 78, something the 'Cats hope to continue against a 13-team field that includes three opponents ranked among the nation's top 50. In addition to tournament co-hosts (47)San Jose State and San Francisco, this year's field includes California, Colorado, Gonzaga, Minnesota, Northern Arizona, (31)Oregon State, (39)Pepperdine, defending-champion Rutgers, Washington and Washington State. The tournament is named in honor of Inkster, a San Jose State grad, 31-time winner on the LPGA Tour and World Golf Hall of Fame member.
Tournament play begins Monday with 36 holes followed by 18 holes on Tuesday, both with 8:30 a.m. (PT) shotgun starts at the Meadow Club, Alister MacKenzie's (Augusta National, Royal Melbourne) first designed course in the United States located north of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge and into the hills below Mount Tamalpais.
"It's supposed to be a fun golf course to play," Knight said. "There's some challenges to it, but we hear it's a good golf course with fast greens, but receptive greens. That's the opposite of last weekend, the ball was bouncing everywhere. I think there will be some opportunities for us."
In addition to K-State's scoring lineup, Darby Deans and Haley Vargas will make the trip and compete as individuals. The Wildcats' McSherry posted her fourth top-20 finish of the season in Florida and leads K-State with a 74.23 scoring average, also having led K-State on the leaderboard in three of the last four events. Isaac is second on the team with a 74.68 average and Fortushniak has been the second-lowest shooter in each of the last two events. Each member of K-State's scoring lineup contributed at least two scores to the team tally last week.
"Every shot matters in this sport," Knight said. "The thing about college golf is that it's an individual sport, but we play it in a team concept. If a player has a rough round one, they still have an opportunity to come out in rounds two and three and help the team. For that matter, if you have a rough round one or two, you have an opportunity to come out in round three and help the team.
"I think that was important for all the ladies to remember. Each and every one of them wants to have a good tournament individually and sometimes that doesn't happen in golf. You've got to keep playing. I'm proud of them for that and I do think we can take momentum in because we've yet to play our best golf this semester but we've climbed seven places in the rankings - that's a good thing. Our message is we're fine, we just need to take a deep breath, have a positive mental attitude and let's go enjoy the Meadow Club."
Hole by hole live scoring is available on Golfstat.com.
Heather Fortushniak birdied No. 9, then Reid Isaac and Chloe Weir birdied No. 10 and Niamh McSherry provided the dramatic close with a 64-yard chip-in for eagle on No. 11 - part of a 5-under close over the final three holes that helped the Wildcats leap two teams and finish T6th instead of ninth on a difficult Bay Point Golf Course. Those four, along with Briony Bayles, will comprise K-State's lineup when the team ties off on the par-72, 6,157-yard Meadow Club in the San Francisco Bay Area.
"I was really proud of the finish," K-State head coach Kristi Knight said. "Last week it was a difficult set-up. The Westbrook Invitational in Arizona was set-up for birdies, but the setup at Bay Point had a lot of water, a lot of penalty areas, and a lot of wind, especially during day one. Scoring was high for the field and we struggled. I think every one of the ladies would tell you we did not play good golf, but to their credit they played until the end."
K-State's climb in the team standings also contributed to a modest climb in the national rankings this week to No. 78, something the 'Cats hope to continue against a 13-team field that includes three opponents ranked among the nation's top 50. In addition to tournament co-hosts (47)San Jose State and San Francisco, this year's field includes California, Colorado, Gonzaga, Minnesota, Northern Arizona, (31)Oregon State, (39)Pepperdine, defending-champion Rutgers, Washington and Washington State. The tournament is named in honor of Inkster, a San Jose State grad, 31-time winner on the LPGA Tour and World Golf Hall of Fame member.
Tournament play begins Monday with 36 holes followed by 18 holes on Tuesday, both with 8:30 a.m. (PT) shotgun starts at the Meadow Club, Alister MacKenzie's (Augusta National, Royal Melbourne) first designed course in the United States located north of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge and into the hills below Mount Tamalpais.
"It's supposed to be a fun golf course to play," Knight said. "There's some challenges to it, but we hear it's a good golf course with fast greens, but receptive greens. That's the opposite of last weekend, the ball was bouncing everywhere. I think there will be some opportunities for us."
In addition to K-State's scoring lineup, Darby Deans and Haley Vargas will make the trip and compete as individuals. The Wildcats' McSherry posted her fourth top-20 finish of the season in Florida and leads K-State with a 74.23 scoring average, also having led K-State on the leaderboard in three of the last four events. Isaac is second on the team with a 74.68 average and Fortushniak has been the second-lowest shooter in each of the last two events. Each member of K-State's scoring lineup contributed at least two scores to the team tally last week.
"Every shot matters in this sport," Knight said. "The thing about college golf is that it's an individual sport, but we play it in a team concept. If a player has a rough round one, they still have an opportunity to come out in rounds two and three and help the team. For that matter, if you have a rough round one or two, you have an opportunity to come out in round three and help the team.
"I think that was important for all the ladies to remember. Each and every one of them wants to have a good tournament individually and sometimes that doesn't happen in golf. You've got to keep playing. I'm proud of them for that and I do think we can take momentum in because we've yet to play our best golf this semester but we've climbed seven places in the rankings - that's a good thing. Our message is we're fine, we just need to take a deep breath, have a positive mental attitude and let's go enjoy the Meadow Club."
Hole by hole live scoring is available on Golfstat.com.
Players Mentioned
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